The Hindu        10.11.2011

Metrowater to fathom needs of merged areas

K. Lakshmi

SOLUTION NOT FAR AWAY: Residents of merged areas may soon have their
water-related woes addressed as Metrowater has begun surveying their
needs. — File Photo

Chennai Metrowater has launched a survey of
infrastructure available for water supply and sewerage facilities in
areas that were merged with the Chennai Corporation.

This
exercise would help the water agency prepare plans for extending its
coverage to these areas. Metrowater is now catering for a population of
50 lakh. The customer base is expected to increase by 17 lakh when the
new areas are covered.

Of about 800 million litres of
water a day (mld) supplied to the city, nearly 710 mld is transmitted
through pipeline. It is estimated that the demand of the expanded city
would be 1,044 mld. Similarly, Metrowater has to provide infrastructure
to treat and dispose an additional 219 mld of sewage estimated to be
generated in the merged areas.

Sources in the water
agency said teams of officials are involved in surveying the
infrastructure and assessing the requirement of each of the wards in the
extended areas. (The number of wards of the Chennai Corporation
increased from 155 to 200 and the number of zones from 10 to 15).

This
includes population to be served, number of streets, houses and the
existing overhead tanks and hand pumps. While some parts of the merged
areas such as Valasaravakkam, Alandur and Madhavaram have piped water
supply or sewerage network, the water agency started implementing such
projects in Ambattur, Manali and Tiruvottiyur.

However, panchayats that have been merged with city are yet to be covered.

The
number of area offices would also be changed to correspond with the
civic body’s zones. While the existing 155 depot offices would be
reduced to 107, 93 more from merged areas would be added. At present,
each depot office serves a population of about 50,000. The coverage of
the depot office would increase by 20,000 as two or three wards have
been merged into one, sources said.

The locations for
housing area offices except for Ambattur, which already has an
urbanised area office in Mogappair, and for additional depot offices are
being identified, an official of Metrowater said. Officials said assets
in the expanded parts are also being surveyed. The water agency is also
in the process of studying the possibility of absorbing personnel from
the local bodies for the additional manpower required.

Once
the survey is completed in a month, Metrowater plans to cover the
localities that are yet to be served with tanker supply. There are also
proposals to construct sewage treatment plants in Mangadu and
Villivakkam as part of the plans to put in place infrastructure on a par
with the city in areas that have been merged.